Stanford Football: 3 takeaways from win over Cal in Week 12

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PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Kaden Smith #82 of the Stanford Cardinal is congratulated by Scooter Harrington #80 after Smith caught a pass for a touchdown against the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

1. Stanford doesn’t get enough respect nationally

After starting the season just 1-2, Stanford is now 8-3 but yet it doesn’t get enough credit for recording big wins over Washington, UCLA, Oregon and Utah on the road. That has led to a 7-1 record over the past two months and yet the Cardinal are overlooked in the Pac-12.

How is that so? The Cardinal are a Washington State loss away from being the Pac-12 North champions. Stanford will be rooting for Washington next weekend as the Huskies host Washington State. If the Huskies win, the Cardinal will be headed to the Pac-12 title game.

Stanford has been consistent for the past couple of months after losses to San Diego State and USC and the Cardinal truly look like New Year’s Six bowl contenders. If they can beat Notre Dame in the final week of the season and then take down a team like USC in the title game, the Cardinal will be seriously considered for one of the top bowls.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round after Week 11 edition

Why can’t David Shaw’s Cardinal get any respect on a national level this season? Because college football focuses on the playoff and essentially nothing else. Also because the Pac-12 has been down this season and will miss the playoff entirely.

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